Wounded soldiers who trekked to South Pole with Prince Harry to tackle London Marathon

Friday 28 March 2014 10:19 BST

Racing spirit: Major Kate Philp (Picture: Petter Nyquist)

The team of wounded soldiers who raced to the South Pole with Prince Harry are preparing for their next challenge, the London Marathon.

The injured servicemen and women who
trekked 208 miles across the Antarctic for charity, are in their final stages
of training for the 26.2 mile race through the capital.

The four members of Harry’s team, Sergeant
Duncan Slater, 34, who lost both legs in Afghanistan when his vehicle was blown
up by an improvised explosive device, Captain Guy Disney, 32, who lost his
right leg in a rocket attack, Captain Ibrar Ali, 36, who lost his right arm in
a roadside bomb and Major Kate Philp, 35, who lost her left leg after a bomb
blast, will be running along with nine members from the international teams
they raced against last December.

The team - whose three-week expedition was
recently broadcast on ITV - will be raising money for Walking With The Wounded,
the charity which organised the South Pole expedition.

Captain Ali said: “The long runs are often
very similar to when I was pulling my pulk during the expedition. It’s a
solitude that is quite nice because I find it’s very simple to just switch off.
I’ll be hoping to make it around the 26.2 mile course alongside my 14
comrades.”

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Edward Parker, co-founder of the charity,
which raises money for injured armed forces personnel, will also join the team
in running the Virgin Money London Marathon.

All five will give first-hand accounts of
the challenges they faced as they trekked across the world’s most inhospitable
environment, at an event open to the public at London’s Royal Geographical
Society next Wednesday.

Mr Parker said: “The toughest part of that
challenge for me was making sure the individuals we took came back in the same
shape. Every extra person we took increased the risk element and we had to make
sure we weren’t going to bring them back any more damaged than they already
were.”